Amal Taqatqa, a Palestinian woman from Beit Fajjar being held in Hadassah Ein Karem hospital under armed guard, was assaulted in her hospital room by an Israeli settler, reported Yousef Matya, a lawyer with the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society.

Taqatqa, 23, was arrested on 1 December and accused of attempting to stab a settler near Gush Etzion settlement, which is located partially on the lands of Beit Fajjar. The settler was uninjured; Taqatqa was shot five times and is still suffering significant health problems.

She was assaulted by another settler who pulled her hair and slapped her, wakening her from sleep, Matya said. He also said in the statement reported by Ma’an News that he was only able to visit her after making several inquiries, while she has been entirely denied family visits. She has been interrogated on multiple occasions while in the hospital.

Also on 30 December, Ma’an reported that two Palestinian women, Sabah Abu Hadwan, 38, and her daughter Alaa Ayyoub Abu Hadwan, 21, were detained at the entrance to Al-Aqsa Mosque by Israeli occupation forces and taken to the Beit Elyahu police station for interrogation.